August 18, 2025 • 22 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Book eighteen. Now there came a certain common tramp who
used to go begging all over the city of Ithaca,
and was notorious as an incorrigible glutton and drunkard. This
man had no strength nor stay in him, but he
was a great hulking fellow. To look at his real name,
the one his mother gave him, was Arnaeus, but the
(00:20):
young men of the place called him Iris, because he
used to run errands for any one who would send him.
As soon as he came, he began to insult Ulysses
and to try and drive him out of his own house.
Be awful man, he cried from the doorway, or you
shall be dragged out neck and heels. Do you not
see that they are all giving me the wink and
(00:41):
wanting me to turn you out by force? Only I
do not like to do. So get up, then and
go of yourself, or we shall come to blows. Ulysses
frowned on him and said, my friend, I do you
no manner of harm. People give you a great deal,
but I am not jealous. There is room room enough
in this doorway for the pair of us, and you
(01:02):
need not grudge me things that are not yours. To give.
You seem to be just such another tramp as myself,
But perhaps the gods will give us better luck by
and by. Do not, however, talk too much about fighting,
or you will incense me and old though I am,
I shall cover your mouth and chest with blood. I
shall have more peace to morrow if I do, for
(01:24):
you will not come to the house of Ulysses any more.
Iris was very angry and answered, you, filthy glutton. You
run on trippingly like an old fish fag. I have
a good mind to lay both hands about you and
knock your teeth out of your head like so many
boars tusks. Get ready, therefore, and let these people here
stand by and look on. You will never be able
(01:46):
to fight one who is so much younger than yourself.
Thus roundly did they rate one another on the smooth
pavement in front of the doorway. And when Antonus saw
what was going on, he laughed heartily and said to
the others, this is the finest sport that you ever saw.
Heaven never yet sent anything like it into this house.
The stranger and Eres have quarreled and are going to fight.
(02:09):
Let us set them on to do so at once.
The suitors all came up, laughing, and gathered round the
two ragged tramps. Listen to me, said Antonus. There are
some goat's paunches down at the fire, which we have
filled with blood and fat and set aside for supper.
He who is victorious and proves himself to be the
better man shall have his pick of the lot. He
(02:30):
shall be free of our table, and we will not
allow any other beggar about the house at all. The
others all agreed, but ulysses to throw them off the scent,
said sirs. An old man like myself, worn out with suffering,
cannot hold his own against a young one. But my
irrepressible belly urges me on, though I know it can
only end in my getting a drubbing. You must swear, however,
(02:53):
that none of you will give me a foul blow,
to favor Ras and secure him the victory. They swore,
or as he told them. And when they had completed
their oath, Telemachus put in a word and said, stranger,
if you have a mind to settle with this fellow,
you need not be afraid of any one here. Whoever
strikes you will have to fight more than one. I
(03:14):
am host, and the other chiefs Antonus and Eurymachus, both
of them men of understanding, are of the same mind
as I am. Every one assented, and Ulysses girded his
old rags about his loins, thus bearing his stalwart thighs,
his broad chest and shoulders, and his mighty arms. But
Minerva came up to him and made his limbs even stronger. Still,
(03:36):
the suitors were beyond measure astonished, and one would turn
towards his neighbors, saying, this stranger has brought such a
thigh out of his old rags that there will soon
be nothing left of rus Iris began to be very
uneasy as he heard them, But the servants girded him
by force and brought him into the open part of
the court in such a fright that his limbs were
(03:56):
all of a tremble. Antonus scolded him and said, said,
you swaggering bully, you ought never to have been born
at all. If you are afraid of such an old,
broken down creature as this tramp is, I say therefore,
and it shall surely be, if he beats you and
proves himself the better man, I shall pack you off
on board ship to the mainland. And send you to
(04:17):
King Ekeatus, who kills every one that comes near him.
He will cut off your nose and ears, and draw
out your entails for the dogs to eat. This frightened
heres still more. But they brought him into the middle
of the court, and the two men raised their hands
to fight. Then Ulysses considered whether he should let drive
so hard at him as to make an end of
him then and there, or whether he should give him
(04:39):
a lighter blow that should only knock him down. In
the end, he deemed it best to give the lighter blow,
for fear the Achaeans should begin to suspect who he was.
Then they began to fight, and Eras hit Ulysses on
the right shoulder. But Ulysses gave Ears a blow on
the neck under the ear that broke in the bones
of his skull, and the blood came gushing out out
(05:00):
of his mouth. He fell groaning in the dust, gnashing
his teeth and kicking on the ground. But the suitors
threw up their hands and nearly died of laughter. Ulysses
caught hold of him by the foot and dragged him
into the outer court as far as the gatehouse. There
he propped him up against the wall and put his
staff in his hands. Sit here, said he, and keep
(05:23):
the dogs and pigs off. You are a pitiful creature,
and if you try to make yourself king of the
beggars any more, you shall fare still worse. Then he
threw his dirty old wallet, all tattered and torn, over
his shoulder with the cord by which it hung, and
went back to sit down upon the threshold. But the
suitors went within the cloisters, laughing and saluting him. May
(05:46):
Jove and all the other gods said, they grant you
whatever you want for having put an end to the
importunity of this insatiable tramp. We will take him over
to the main land presently to King Echetus, who kills
every one that comes near him. Ulysses hailed this as
of good omen, and Antonus set a great goat's paunch
before him, filled with blood and fat. Amphinymus took two
(06:09):
loaves out of the bread basket and brought them to him,
pledging him as he did so, in a golden goblet
of wine. Good luck to you, he said, father stranger.
You are very badly off at present, but I hope
you will have better times by and by to this,
Ulysses answered ampheminus, you seem to be a man of
good understanding, as indeed you may well be. Seeing whose
(06:31):
son you are, I have heard your father well spoken of.
He is Nysus of Dulichium, a man both brave and wealthy.
They tell me you are his son, and you appear
to be a considerable person. Listen, therefore, and take heed
to what I am saying. Man is the vainest of
all creatures that have their being upon earth. As long
(06:52):
as Heaven vouchsafes him health and strength, he thinks that
he shall come to no harm hereafter. And even when
the blessed Gods bring sorrow upon him, he bears it
as he needs must, and makes the best of it.
For God Almighty gives men their daily minds day by day.
I know all about it, for I was a rich
man once and did much wrong in the stubbornness of
(07:13):
my pride, and in the confidence that my father and
my brothers would support me. Therefore, let a man fear
God in all things always, and take the good that
Heaven may see fit to send him without vainglory. Consider
the infamy of what these suitors are doing. See how
they are wasting the estate and doing dishonor to the
wife of one who is certain to return some day,
(07:36):
and that too not long. Hence, nay, he will be
here soon. May Heaven send you home quietly first, that
you may not meet with him in the day of
his coming, For once he is here the suitors and
he will not part bloodlessly. With these words, he made
a drink offering, and when he had drunk, he put
the gold cup again into the hands of Ampheminus, who
(07:57):
walked away, serious and bowing his head. He foreboded evil,
But even so he did not escape destruction, for Minerva
had doomed him fall by the hand of Telemachus. So
he took his seat again at the place from which
he had come. Then Minerva put it into the mind
of Penelope to show herself to the suitors, that she
(08:17):
might make them still more enamored of her and win
still further honor from her son and husband. So she
feigned a mocking laugh and said, eurynymy, I have changed
my mind and have a fancy to show myself to
the suitors. Although I detest them, I should like also
to give my son a hint that he had better
not have anything more to do with them. They speak
(08:38):
fairly enough, but they mean mischief. My dear child answered, Eurynymy,
all that you have said is true. Go and tell
your son about it. But first wash yourself and anoint
your face. Do not go about with your cheeks all
covered with tears. It is not right that you should
grieve so incessantly, for Telemachus, whom you have always prayed
(08:58):
that you might live to see with the bees, is
already grown up. I know, Eurynymy, replied Penelope, that you
mean well, but do not try and persuade me to
wash and to anoint myself, for Heaven rob me of
all my beauty on the day my husband sailed. Nevertheless,
tell Autonoe and Hippodamia that I want them. They must
(09:19):
be with me when I am in the cloister. I
am not going among the men alone. It would not
be proper for me to do so. On this, the
old woman went out of the room to bid the
maids go to their mistress. In the meantime, Minerva bethought
her of another matter and sent Penelope off into a
sweet slumber. So she lay down on her couch and
her limbs became heavy with sleep. Then the goddess shed
(09:42):
grace and beauty over her, that all the Achaeans might
admire her. She washed her face with the ambrosial loveliness
that Venus wears when she goes dancing. With the graces,
she made her taller and of a more commanding figure,
while as for her complexion, it was whiter than san ivory.
When Minerva had done all this, she went away, whereon
(10:03):
the maids came in from the women's room and woke
Penelope with the sound of their talking. Oh what an
exquisitely delicious sleep I have been having, said she as
she passed her hands over her face. In spite of
all my misery, I wish Diana would let me die
so sweetly now, at this very moment, that I might
no longer waste in despair for the loss of my
(10:24):
dear husband, who possessed every kind of good quality and
was the most distinguished man among the Achaeans. With these words,
she came down from her upper room, not alone, but
attended by two of her maidens, And when she reached
the suitors, she stood by one of the bearing posts
supporting the roof of the cloister holding a veil before
her face, and with a staid maid servant on either
(10:46):
side of her. As they beheld her, the suitors were
so overpowered and became so desperately enamored of her, that
each one prayed he might win her for his own bed.
Fellow Telemachus, said she, addressing her son, I fear you
are no longer so discreet and well conducted as you
used to be. When you were younger, you had a
(11:07):
greater sense of propriety. Now, however, that you are grown up,
though a stranger to look at you would take you
for the son of a well to do father. As
far as size and good looks go, your conduct is
by no means what it should be. What is all
this disturbance that has been going on? And how came
you to allow a stranger to be so disgracefully ill treated?
(11:27):
What would have happened if he had suffered serious injury
while suppliant in our house? Surely this would have been
very discreditable to you. I am not surprised, my dear mother,
at your displeasure, replied Telemachus. I understand all about it,
and no one things are not as they should be,
which I could not do when I was younger. I cannot, however,
(11:47):
behave with perfect propriety at all times. First one and
then another of these wicked people here keeps driving me
out of my mind, and I have no one to
stand by me. After all. However, this fire between Iris
and the stranger did not turn out as the suitors
meant it to do, for the stranger got the best
of it. I wish Father Jove, Minerva and Apollo would
(12:08):
break the neck of every one of these wooers of yours,
some inside the house and some out. And I wish
they might all be as limp as erases over yonder
in the gait of the outer court. See how he
nods his head like a drunken man. He has had
such a thrashing that he cannot stand on his feet
nor get back to his home, wherever that may be,
for he has no strength left in him. Thus did
(12:32):
they converse. Eurymachus then came up and said, Queen Penelope,
daughter of Vicarius, if all the Achaeans in Yeasian Argos
could see you at this moment, you would have still
more suitors in your house by tomorrow morning. For you
are the most admirable woman in the whole world, both
as regards personal beauty and strength of understanding. To this,
(12:54):
Penelope replied Eurymachus, Heaven robbed me of all my beauty,
whether of face or figure. When the argives set sail
for Troy, and my dear husband with them, if he
were to return and look after my affairs, I should
both be more respected and show a better presence to
the world. As it is, I am oppressed with care
and with the afflictions which Heaven has seen fit to
(13:16):
heap upon me. My husband foresaw it all, and when
he was leaving home, he took my right wrist in
his hand. Wife, he said, we shall not all of
us come home safe from Troy. For the Trojans fight well,
both with beau and spear. They are excellent also at
fighting from chariots, and nothing decides the issue of a
fight sooner than this. I know not, therefore, whether Heaven
(13:39):
will send me back to you, or whether I may
not fall over there at Troy. In the meantime, do
you look after things here? Take care of my father
and mother as at present, and even more so during
my absence. But when you see our son growing a beard,
then marry whom you will, and leave this your present home.
(13:59):
This is what he is say said, And now it
is all coming true. A night will come when I
shall have to yield myself to a marriage which I detest,
for Jove has taken from me all hope of happiness.
This further grief moreover cuts me to the very heart.
You suitors are not wooing me, after the custom of
my country, when men are courting a woman whom they
(14:19):
think will be a good wife to them, and who
is of noble birth, and when they are each trying
to win her for himself, they usually bring oxen and
sheep to feast the friends of the lady, and they
make her magnificent presents instead of eating up other people's
property without paying for it. This was what she said,
and Ulysses was glad when he heard her trying to
(14:40):
get presents out of the suitors and flattering them with
fair words which he knew she did not mean. Then
Antona said, Queen Penelope, daughter Vicarius, take as many presents
as you please from any one who will give them
to you. It is not well to refuse a present.
But we will not go about our business, nor stir
from where we are till you have married the best
(15:02):
man among us, whoever he may be. The others applauded
what Antonus had said, and each one sent his servant
to bring his present. Antinus's man returned with a large
and lovely dress, most exquisitely embroidered. It had twelve beautifully
made brooch pins of pure gold with which to fasten it.
Eurymachus immediately brought her a magnificent chain of gold and
(15:25):
amber beads that gleamed like sunlight. Eurydamus's two men returned
with some earrings fashioned into three brilliant pendants, which glistened
most beautifully, while King Pisander, son of Polloctor, gave her
a necklace of the rarest workmanship, and every one else
brought her a beautiful present of some kind. Then the
(15:45):
queen went back to her room upstairs, and her maids
brought the presents after her. Meanwhile, the suitors took to
singing and dancing, and stayed till evening came. They danced
and sang till it grew dark. Then they brought in
three braziers to give life, and pile them up with
chopped firewood, very old and dry, and they lit torches
from them, which the maids held up in turn, and
(16:07):
turn about. Then, Ulysses, said, maids, servants of Ulysses, who
has so long been absent, go to the queen inside
the house, sit with her and amuse her, or spin
and pick wool. I will hold the light for all
these people. They may stay till morning, but shall not
beat me, for I can stand a great deal. The
(16:27):
maids looked at one another and laughed, while pretty Melantho
began to gibe at him contemptuously. She was daughter Todolius,
but had been brought up by Penelope, who used to
give her toys to play with and looked after her
when she was a child. But in spite of all this,
she showed no consideration for the sorrows of her mistress,
and used to misconduct herself with Eurymachus, with whom she
(16:48):
was in love. Poor wretch, said she, Are you gone
clean out of your mind? Go and sleep in some
smithy or place of public gossips instead of chattering here?
Are you not ashamed of opening your mouth before your
betters so many of them too? Has the wine been
getting into your head? Or do you always babble in
(17:09):
this way. You seem to have lost your wits because
you beat the tramp Eiress. Take care that a better
man than he does not come and cudgel you about
the head till he pack you bleeding out of the house.
Vixen replied Ulysses, scowling at her, I will go and
tell Telemachus what you have been saying, and he will
have you torn limb from limb. With these words, he
(17:32):
scared the women, and they went off into the body
of the house. They trembled all over, for they thought
he would do as he said. But Ulysses took his
stand near the burning braziers, holding up torches and looking
at the people, brooding the while on things that should
surely come to pass. But Minerva would not let the
suitors for one moment cease their insolence, for she wanted
(17:55):
Ulysses to become even more bitter against them. She therefore
sent Eurymachus, son of Polybus, on to gibe at him,
which made the others laugh. Listen to me, said he you,
suitors of Queen Penelope, that I may speak even as
I am minded. It is not for nothing that this
man has come to the house of Ulysses, I believe
(18:15):
the light has not been coming from the torches, but
from his own head, for his hair is all gone,
every bit of it. Then, turning to Ulysses, he said, stranger,
will you work as a servant? If I send you
to the wolds and see that you are well paid?
Can you build a stone fence or plant trees? I
will have you fed all the year round, and will
(18:36):
find you in shoes and clothing. Will you go then?
Not you, for you have got into bad ways and
do not want to work. You would rather fill your
belly by going round the country begging Youremachus answered Ulysses.
If you and I were to work one against the
other in early summer, when the days are at their longest,
(18:57):
give me a good scythe and take an other yourself,
and let us see which will fast the longer, or
mow the stronger from dawn till dark when the mowing
grass is about. Or if you will plow against me,
let us each take a yoke of tawny oxen, well
mated and of great strength and endurance, turn me into
a four acre field, and see whether you or I
(19:19):
can drive the straighter furrow. If again, war were to
break out this day, Give me a shield and a
couple of spears, and a helmet fitting well upon my temples.
You would find me foremost in the fray, and would
cease your gibes about my belly. You are insolent and cruel,
and think yourself a great man, because you live in
a little world, and that a bad one. If Ulysses
(19:43):
comes to his own again, the doors of his house
are wide, but you will find them narrow when you
try to fly through them. Eurymachus was furious at all this.
He scowled at him and cried, you wretch, I will
soon pay you out for daring to say such things
to me and in public to two. Has the wine
been getting into your head? Or do you always babble
(20:04):
in this way? You seem to have lost your wits,
because you beat the tramp eres with this he caught
hold of a footstool, but Ulysses saw protection at the
knees of Amphinymus of Duluchium, for he was afraid. The
stool hit the cupbearer on his right hand and knocked
him down. The man fell with a cry, flat on
his back, and his wine jug fell ringing to the ground.
(20:26):
The suitors in the covered cloister were now in an uproar,
and one would turn towards his neighbor, saying, I wish
the stranger had gone somewhere else, bad luck to hide
for all the trouble he gives us. We cannot permit
such disturbance about a beggar. If such ill counsels are
to prevail, we shall have no more pleasure at our banquet.
On this Telemachus came forward and said, sirs, are you mad?
(20:50):
Can you not carry your meat and your liquor decently?
Some evil spirit has possessed you. I do not wish
to drive any of you away, but you have had
your suppers and the sous. You all go home to
bed the better. The suitors bit their lips and marveled
at the boldness of his speech. But Amphinymus, the son
of Nisus, who was son to Aretius, said, do not
(21:12):
let us take offense. It is reasonable, So let us
make no answer. Neither let us do violence to the
stranger nor to any of ulysses servants. Let the cup
bearer go round with the drink offerings that we may
make them, and go home to our rest. As for
the stranger. Let us leave Telemachus to deal with him,
for it is to his house that he is come.
(21:33):
Thus did he speak, and his saying pleased them well.
So Mulius of Delicium, servant to Amphinymus, mixed them a
bowl of wine and water, and handed it round to
each of them man by man, whereon they made their
drink offerings to the blessed gods. Then, when they had
made their drink offerings and had drunk each one as
he was minded, they took their several ways, each of
(21:55):
them to his own abode. End of Book eighteen
Book eighteen. Now there came a certain common tramp who
used to go begging all over the city of Ithaca,
and was notorious as an incorrigible glutton and drunkard. This
man had no strength nor stay in him, but he
was a great hulking fellow. To look at his real name,
the one his mother gave him, was Arnaeus, but the
(00:20):
young men of the place called him Iris, because he
used to run errands for any one who would send him.
As soon as he came, he began to insult Ulysses
and to try and drive him out of his own house.
Be awful man, he cried from the doorway, or you
shall be dragged out neck and heels. Do you not
see that they are all giving me the wink and
(00:41):
wanting me to turn you out by force? Only I
do not like to do. So get up, then and
go of yourself, or we shall come to blows. Ulysses
frowned on him and said, my friend, I do you
no manner of harm. People give you a great deal,
but I am not jealous. There is room room enough
in this doorway for the pair of us, and you
(01:02):
need not grudge me things that are not yours. To give.
You seem to be just such another tramp as myself,
But perhaps the gods will give us better luck by
and by. Do not, however, talk too much about fighting,
or you will incense me and old though I am,
I shall cover your mouth and chest with blood. I
shall have more peace to morrow if I do, for
(01:24):
you will not come to the house of Ulysses any more.
Iris was very angry and answered, you, filthy glutton. You
run on trippingly like an old fish fag. I have
a good mind to lay both hands about you and
knock your teeth out of your head like so many
boars tusks. Get ready, therefore, and let these people here
stand by and look on. You will never be able
(01:46):
to fight one who is so much younger than yourself.
Thus roundly did they rate one another on the smooth
pavement in front of the doorway. And when Antonus saw
what was going on, he laughed heartily and said to
the others, this is the finest sport that you ever saw.
Heaven never yet sent anything like it into this house.
The stranger and Eres have quarreled and are going to fight.
(02:09):
Let us set them on to do so at once.
The suitors all came up, laughing, and gathered round the
two ragged tramps. Listen to me, said Antonus. There are
some goat's paunches down at the fire, which we have
filled with blood and fat and set aside for supper.
He who is victorious and proves himself to be the
better man shall have his pick of the lot. He
(02:30):
shall be free of our table, and we will not
allow any other beggar about the house at all. The
others all agreed, but ulysses to throw them off the scent,
said sirs. An old man like myself, worn out with suffering,
cannot hold his own against a young one. But my
irrepressible belly urges me on, though I know it can
only end in my getting a drubbing. You must swear, however,
(02:53):
that none of you will give me a foul blow,
to favor Ras and secure him the victory. They swore,
or as he told them. And when they had completed
their oath, Telemachus put in a word and said, stranger,
if you have a mind to settle with this fellow,
you need not be afraid of any one here. Whoever
strikes you will have to fight more than one. I
(03:14):
am host, and the other chiefs Antonus and Eurymachus, both
of them men of understanding, are of the same mind
as I am. Every one assented, and Ulysses girded his
old rags about his loins, thus bearing his stalwart thighs,
his broad chest and shoulders, and his mighty arms. But
Minerva came up to him and made his limbs even stronger. Still,
(03:36):
the suitors were beyond measure astonished, and one would turn
towards his neighbors, saying, this stranger has brought such a
thigh out of his old rags that there will soon
be nothing left of rus Iris began to be very
uneasy as he heard them, But the servants girded him
by force and brought him into the open part of
the court in such a fright that his limbs were
(03:56):
all of a tremble. Antonus scolded him and said, said,
you swaggering bully, you ought never to have been born
at all. If you are afraid of such an old,
broken down creature as this tramp is, I say therefore,
and it shall surely be, if he beats you and
proves himself the better man, I shall pack you off
on board ship to the mainland. And send you to
(04:17):
King Ekeatus, who kills every one that comes near him.
He will cut off your nose and ears, and draw
out your entails for the dogs to eat. This frightened
heres still more. But they brought him into the middle
of the court, and the two men raised their hands
to fight. Then Ulysses considered whether he should let drive
so hard at him as to make an end of
him then and there, or whether he should give him
(04:39):
a lighter blow that should only knock him down. In
the end, he deemed it best to give the lighter blow,
for fear the Achaeans should begin to suspect who he was.
Then they began to fight, and Eras hit Ulysses on
the right shoulder. But Ulysses gave Ears a blow on
the neck under the ear that broke in the bones
of his skull, and the blood came gushing out out
(05:00):
of his mouth. He fell groaning in the dust, gnashing
his teeth and kicking on the ground. But the suitors
threw up their hands and nearly died of laughter. Ulysses
caught hold of him by the foot and dragged him
into the outer court as far as the gatehouse. There
he propped him up against the wall and put his
staff in his hands. Sit here, said he, and keep
(05:23):
the dogs and pigs off. You are a pitiful creature,
and if you try to make yourself king of the
beggars any more, you shall fare still worse. Then he
threw his dirty old wallet, all tattered and torn, over
his shoulder with the cord by which it hung, and
went back to sit down upon the threshold. But the
suitors went within the cloisters, laughing and saluting him. May
(05:46):
Jove and all the other gods said, they grant you
whatever you want for having put an end to the
importunity of this insatiable tramp. We will take him over
to the main land presently to King Echetus, who kills
every one that comes near him. Ulysses hailed this as
of good omen, and Antonus set a great goat's paunch
before him, filled with blood and fat. Amphinymus took two
(06:09):
loaves out of the bread basket and brought them to him,
pledging him as he did so, in a golden goblet
of wine. Good luck to you, he said, father stranger.
You are very badly off at present, but I hope
you will have better times by and by to this,
Ulysses answered ampheminus, you seem to be a man of
good understanding, as indeed you may well be. Seeing whose
(06:31):
son you are, I have heard your father well spoken of.
He is Nysus of Dulichium, a man both brave and wealthy.
They tell me you are his son, and you appear
to be a considerable person. Listen, therefore, and take heed
to what I am saying. Man is the vainest of
all creatures that have their being upon earth. As long
(06:52):
as Heaven vouchsafes him health and strength, he thinks that
he shall come to no harm hereafter. And even when
the blessed Gods bring sorrow upon him, he bears it
as he needs must, and makes the best of it.
For God Almighty gives men their daily minds day by day.
I know all about it, for I was a rich
man once and did much wrong in the stubbornness of
(07:13):
my pride, and in the confidence that my father and
my brothers would support me. Therefore, let a man fear
God in all things always, and take the good that
Heaven may see fit to send him without vainglory. Consider
the infamy of what these suitors are doing. See how
they are wasting the estate and doing dishonor to the
wife of one who is certain to return some day,
(07:36):
and that too not long. Hence, nay, he will be
here soon. May Heaven send you home quietly first, that
you may not meet with him in the day of
his coming, For once he is here the suitors and
he will not part bloodlessly. With these words, he made
a drink offering, and when he had drunk, he put
the gold cup again into the hands of Ampheminus, who
(07:57):
walked away, serious and bowing his head. He foreboded evil,
But even so he did not escape destruction, for Minerva
had doomed him fall by the hand of Telemachus. So
he took his seat again at the place from which
he had come. Then Minerva put it into the mind
of Penelope to show herself to the suitors, that she
(08:17):
might make them still more enamored of her and win
still further honor from her son and husband. So she
feigned a mocking laugh and said, eurynymy, I have changed
my mind and have a fancy to show myself to
the suitors. Although I detest them, I should like also
to give my son a hint that he had better
not have anything more to do with them. They speak
(08:38):
fairly enough, but they mean mischief. My dear child answered, Eurynymy,
all that you have said is true. Go and tell
your son about it. But first wash yourself and anoint
your face. Do not go about with your cheeks all
covered with tears. It is not right that you should
grieve so incessantly, for Telemachus, whom you have always prayed
(08:58):
that you might live to see with the bees, is
already grown up. I know, Eurynymy, replied Penelope, that you
mean well, but do not try and persuade me to
wash and to anoint myself, for Heaven rob me of
all my beauty on the day my husband sailed. Nevertheless,
tell Autonoe and Hippodamia that I want them. They must
(09:19):
be with me when I am in the cloister. I
am not going among the men alone. It would not
be proper for me to do so. On this, the
old woman went out of the room to bid the
maids go to their mistress. In the meantime, Minerva bethought
her of another matter and sent Penelope off into a
sweet slumber. So she lay down on her couch and
her limbs became heavy with sleep. Then the goddess shed
(09:42):
grace and beauty over her, that all the Achaeans might
admire her. She washed her face with the ambrosial loveliness
that Venus wears when she goes dancing. With the graces,
she made her taller and of a more commanding figure,
while as for her complexion, it was whiter than san ivory.
When Minerva had done all this, she went away, whereon
(10:03):
the maids came in from the women's room and woke
Penelope with the sound of their talking. Oh what an
exquisitely delicious sleep I have been having, said she as
she passed her hands over her face. In spite of
all my misery, I wish Diana would let me die
so sweetly now, at this very moment, that I might
no longer waste in despair for the loss of my
(10:24):
dear husband, who possessed every kind of good quality and
was the most distinguished man among the Achaeans. With these words,
she came down from her upper room, not alone, but
attended by two of her maidens, And when she reached
the suitors, she stood by one of the bearing posts
supporting the roof of the cloister holding a veil before
her face, and with a staid maid servant on either
(10:46):
side of her. As they beheld her, the suitors were
so overpowered and became so desperately enamored of her, that
each one prayed he might win her for his own bed.
Fellow Telemachus, said she, addressing her son, I fear you
are no longer so discreet and well conducted as you
used to be. When you were younger, you had a
(11:07):
greater sense of propriety. Now, however, that you are grown up,
though a stranger to look at you would take you
for the son of a well to do father. As
far as size and good looks go, your conduct is
by no means what it should be. What is all
this disturbance that has been going on? And how came
you to allow a stranger to be so disgracefully ill treated?
(11:27):
What would have happened if he had suffered serious injury
while suppliant in our house? Surely this would have been
very discreditable to you. I am not surprised, my dear mother,
at your displeasure, replied Telemachus. I understand all about it,
and no one things are not as they should be,
which I could not do when I was younger. I cannot, however,
(11:47):
behave with perfect propriety at all times. First one and
then another of these wicked people here keeps driving me
out of my mind, and I have no one to
stand by me. After all. However, this fire between Iris
and the stranger did not turn out as the suitors
meant it to do, for the stranger got the best
of it. I wish Father Jove, Minerva and Apollo would
(12:08):
break the neck of every one of these wooers of yours,
some inside the house and some out. And I wish
they might all be as limp as erases over yonder
in the gait of the outer court. See how he
nods his head like a drunken man. He has had
such a thrashing that he cannot stand on his feet
nor get back to his home, wherever that may be,
for he has no strength left in him. Thus did
(12:32):
they converse. Eurymachus then came up and said, Queen Penelope,
daughter of Vicarius, if all the Achaeans in Yeasian Argos
could see you at this moment, you would have still
more suitors in your house by tomorrow morning. For you
are the most admirable woman in the whole world, both
as regards personal beauty and strength of understanding. To this,
(12:54):
Penelope replied Eurymachus, Heaven robbed me of all my beauty,
whether of face or figure. When the argives set sail
for Troy, and my dear husband with them, if he
were to return and look after my affairs, I should
both be more respected and show a better presence to
the world. As it is, I am oppressed with care
and with the afflictions which Heaven has seen fit to
(13:16):
heap upon me. My husband foresaw it all, and when
he was leaving home, he took my right wrist in
his hand. Wife, he said, we shall not all of
us come home safe from Troy. For the Trojans fight well,
both with beau and spear. They are excellent also at
fighting from chariots, and nothing decides the issue of a
fight sooner than this. I know not, therefore, whether Heaven
(13:39):
will send me back to you, or whether I may
not fall over there at Troy. In the meantime, do
you look after things here? Take care of my father
and mother as at present, and even more so during
my absence. But when you see our son growing a beard,
then marry whom you will, and leave this your present home.
(13:59):
This is what he is say said, And now it
is all coming true. A night will come when I
shall have to yield myself to a marriage which I detest,
for Jove has taken from me all hope of happiness.
This further grief moreover cuts me to the very heart.
You suitors are not wooing me, after the custom of
my country, when men are courting a woman whom they
(14:19):
think will be a good wife to them, and who
is of noble birth, and when they are each trying
to win her for himself, they usually bring oxen and
sheep to feast the friends of the lady, and they
make her magnificent presents instead of eating up other people's
property without paying for it. This was what she said,
and Ulysses was glad when he heard her trying to
(14:40):
get presents out of the suitors and flattering them with
fair words which he knew she did not mean. Then
Antona said, Queen Penelope, daughter Vicarius, take as many presents
as you please from any one who will give them
to you. It is not well to refuse a present.
But we will not go about our business, nor stir
from where we are till you have married the best
(15:02):
man among us, whoever he may be. The others applauded
what Antonus had said, and each one sent his servant
to bring his present. Antinus's man returned with a large
and lovely dress, most exquisitely embroidered. It had twelve beautifully
made brooch pins of pure gold with which to fasten it.
Eurymachus immediately brought her a magnificent chain of gold and
(15:25):
amber beads that gleamed like sunlight. Eurydamus's two men returned
with some earrings fashioned into three brilliant pendants, which glistened
most beautifully, while King Pisander, son of Polloctor, gave her
a necklace of the rarest workmanship, and every one else
brought her a beautiful present of some kind. Then the
(15:45):
queen went back to her room upstairs, and her maids
brought the presents after her. Meanwhile, the suitors took to
singing and dancing, and stayed till evening came. They danced
and sang till it grew dark. Then they brought in
three braziers to give life, and pile them up with
chopped firewood, very old and dry, and they lit torches
from them, which the maids held up in turn, and
(16:07):
turn about. Then, Ulysses, said, maids, servants of Ulysses, who
has so long been absent, go to the queen inside
the house, sit with her and amuse her, or spin
and pick wool. I will hold the light for all
these people. They may stay till morning, but shall not
beat me, for I can stand a great deal. The
(16:27):
maids looked at one another and laughed, while pretty Melantho
began to gibe at him contemptuously. She was daughter Todolius,
but had been brought up by Penelope, who used to
give her toys to play with and looked after her
when she was a child. But in spite of all this,
she showed no consideration for the sorrows of her mistress,
and used to misconduct herself with Eurymachus, with whom she
(16:48):
was in love. Poor wretch, said she, Are you gone
clean out of your mind? Go and sleep in some
smithy or place of public gossips instead of chattering here?
Are you not ashamed of opening your mouth before your
betters so many of them too? Has the wine been
getting into your head? Or do you always babble in
(17:09):
this way. You seem to have lost your wits because
you beat the tramp Eiress. Take care that a better
man than he does not come and cudgel you about
the head till he pack you bleeding out of the house.
Vixen replied Ulysses, scowling at her, I will go and
tell Telemachus what you have been saying, and he will
have you torn limb from limb. With these words, he
(17:32):
scared the women, and they went off into the body
of the house. They trembled all over, for they thought
he would do as he said. But Ulysses took his
stand near the burning braziers, holding up torches and looking
at the people, brooding the while on things that should
surely come to pass. But Minerva would not let the
suitors for one moment cease their insolence, for she wanted
(17:55):
Ulysses to become even more bitter against them. She therefore
sent Eurymachus, son of Polybus, on to gibe at him,
which made the others laugh. Listen to me, said he you,
suitors of Queen Penelope, that I may speak even as
I am minded. It is not for nothing that this
man has come to the house of Ulysses, I believe
(18:15):
the light has not been coming from the torches, but
from his own head, for his hair is all gone,
every bit of it. Then, turning to Ulysses, he said, stranger,
will you work as a servant? If I send you
to the wolds and see that you are well paid?
Can you build a stone fence or plant trees? I
will have you fed all the year round, and will
(18:36):
find you in shoes and clothing. Will you go then?
Not you, for you have got into bad ways and
do not want to work. You would rather fill your
belly by going round the country begging Youremachus answered Ulysses.
If you and I were to work one against the
other in early summer, when the days are at their longest,
(18:57):
give me a good scythe and take an other yourself,
and let us see which will fast the longer, or
mow the stronger from dawn till dark when the mowing
grass is about. Or if you will plow against me,
let us each take a yoke of tawny oxen, well
mated and of great strength and endurance, turn me into
a four acre field, and see whether you or I
(19:19):
can drive the straighter furrow. If again, war were to
break out this day, Give me a shield and a
couple of spears, and a helmet fitting well upon my temples.
You would find me foremost in the fray, and would
cease your gibes about my belly. You are insolent and cruel,
and think yourself a great man, because you live in
a little world, and that a bad one. If Ulysses
(19:43):
comes to his own again, the doors of his house
are wide, but you will find them narrow when you
try to fly through them. Eurymachus was furious at all this.
He scowled at him and cried, you wretch, I will
soon pay you out for daring to say such things
to me and in public to two. Has the wine
been getting into your head? Or do you always babble
(20:04):
in this way? You seem to have lost your wits,
because you beat the tramp eres with this he caught
hold of a footstool, but Ulysses saw protection at the
knees of Amphinymus of Duluchium, for he was afraid. The
stool hit the cupbearer on his right hand and knocked
him down. The man fell with a cry, flat on
his back, and his wine jug fell ringing to the ground.
(20:26):
The suitors in the covered cloister were now in an uproar,
and one would turn towards his neighbor, saying, I wish
the stranger had gone somewhere else, bad luck to hide
for all the trouble he gives us. We cannot permit
such disturbance about a beggar. If such ill counsels are
to prevail, we shall have no more pleasure at our banquet.
On this Telemachus came forward and said, sirs, are you mad?
(20:50):
Can you not carry your meat and your liquor decently?
Some evil spirit has possessed you. I do not wish
to drive any of you away, but you have had
your suppers and the sous. You all go home to
bed the better. The suitors bit their lips and marveled
at the boldness of his speech. But Amphinymus, the son
of Nisus, who was son to Aretius, said, do not
(21:12):
let us take offense. It is reasonable, So let us
make no answer. Neither let us do violence to the
stranger nor to any of ulysses servants. Let the cup
bearer go round with the drink offerings that we may
make them, and go home to our rest. As for
the stranger. Let us leave Telemachus to deal with him,
for it is to his house that he is come.
(21:33):
Thus did he speak, and his saying pleased them well.
So Mulius of Delicium, servant to Amphinymus, mixed them a
bowl of wine and water, and handed it round to
each of them man by man, whereon they made their
drink offerings to the blessed gods. Then, when they had
made their drink offerings and had drunk each one as
he was minded, they took their several ways, each of
(21:55):
them to his own abode. End of Book eighteen
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